Troubling Realizations
by Laurie Archer
Summary: (Inspired by various episodes) Dean returns from Hell with what he believes to be a ghost nagging him about the problems he refused to confront all these years, especially now. When he finds Sam with Ruby, and when Sam turns on him, Dean's world turns upside down. Only then does he realize who that ghost is and why she was always nagging him. He really was broken, but not anymore.
1. The Awakening

The Awakening

He opened his eyes and hated the feeling he had in his gut. It took him a moment to realize where he was. He was no longer in Hell, no longer tortured by demons and no longer –, he was no longer there. So where was he?

Dean stretched out his hands and found he could barely move. He tried to stretch his legs and it was impossible. His hands felt a flat soft surface and soon realized, with horror, he was in a box. Oh, not just any box, a coffin.

He began to panic, eyes moving rapidly, his heart race as well. His breathing became shallow and flashes of Hell returned. It was all coming back to him.

He had to calm himself before he had an anxiety attack.

_C'mon Dean, think straight. Don't panic, just try to stay calm._

Once his breathing and heart rate regulated, he could think of a plan of action. Luckily for him, the coffin wasn't much, so he could punch through the coffin. He kept punching and even though his knuckles were bleeding and pain shot through his hand, he continued. He wasn't going to die in a coffin.

Once he had his hand through, he tried to make the hole even bigger so he could climb out and then struggle with the dirt. It wasn't easy, he was exhausted but there was no way he was going to die in a coffin. He had to keep telling himself that, as a sort of motivation.

Once he was through, completely that is, the sun was so blinding, he couldn't open his eyes.

He pushed his way through and struggled to stand on his feet. His eyes were extremely sensitive to the sunlight, but it soon passed.

He walked down the road, wondering where he was. He also wondered how Sam and Bobby were doing, where they were and if they knew he was back. In the sun, his arms were burning. He stopped and rolled up his t-shirt. His biceps were burned indeed with what appeared to be hand prints. How the hell did those get there? Who did they come from?

Safe to say, it had Dean worried.

Up ahead, he saw a small store that seemed to be abandoned. Beside it was a pay phone. He could use it to call Sam and Bobby. He searched his pockets for change and cursed when he had none. He walked up to the phone and turned the phone upside down and punched in his brother's cell phone number, only to get voicemail. He tried Bobby, it was ringing.

"Hello."

"Bobby, its Dean."

"What kind of a sick son of a bitch are you?" The phone went dead. Bobby had hung up on him.

Should he really have been surprised? Someone dies and later, someone calls claiming to be the recently departed back to life? No hunter would believe that.

He hung up and went back into the store. He looked around for things he could use. He'd have to walk; go and prove to Bobby he wasn't any monster. He grabbed a bottle of water, and heard a sound and then it turned unbearably loud. His ears began to hurt and then, the windows shattered. Bottles broke and Dean fell to the ground, trying to block out the horrible sound. When the sound ended, he looked around and saw nothing, no demons, and he sure as hell wasn't staying to see if it was.

He left the store and kept walking, he'd have to show up at Bobby's door and prove he's back, back from the dead.

That should be fun.

Dean pressed the cloth against his wrist as hard as he could to get it to stop bleeding. He had to prove it to Bobby he really was Dean Winchester, even drink Holy water, like usual. Finally Bobby hugged him, a hug he never gave before.

"How'd you come back?" he asked Dean. He could hear the emotion in his voice. It was like a father glad to have his son come back home. It made Dean think of John; how that's what he should have been, but John Winchester was something else. Still, Dean wanted to be like him, but did he hope for a closer father-son bond? He never really asked himself.

_Maybe now's the time to ask._

Dean wasn't certain if that was a thought he had in his head or if someone whispered it in his ear. Hell still had an impact on him and he brushed it off. He couldn't have that. He wouldn't.

Dean hugged Bobby in return and focused on the present, with Bobby, and not the past; his youth or his suffering in Hell.

"That's what I'd like to know. I tried calling Sam, but I got nothing." He replied.

Bobby pulled away and nodded. Dean had the feeling Bobby knew something, and it wasn't something good.

"Sam didn't want to burn your body. I feared he do like what you did." Bobby said and then had an awkward pause. His expression said it before his words. "You think he did make a deal or something?" Bobby asked him.

"He better not have."

"Pontiac, here we are." Bobby said as they stepped up to the hotel where Sam's cell phone account lead them to. Dean got the room number out of the clerk and both knocked on Sam's door.

The door opened and Sam sidestepped to let Bobby in. He was in complete shock when he saw Dean. The first thing he did was defend himself before the demons attacked. He should have known better.

"Sam, it's really Dean." Bobby said, watching Dean taking the blow and standing there, as if stunned. That wasn't Dean, but who can blame him? He just came back from Death.

Sam started at his brother and when he snapped back, he tried to be himself. However, Bobby and Sam saw right through it.

"Sammy must be eating spinach; I don't remember those punches being so powerful." Dean said as he wiped away blood from his lip as he gave a weak grin.

"Did you make a deal?" Bobby asked Sam after a moment of hesitation.

"No, did you?" he asked in return with the same hesitation.

"You think I'm stupid or something?" Bobby snapped.

All three stood there and stared at each other in an awkward silence. It was obvious: no one made a deal for Dean. So, the question was: who did and for what reason?

"What exactly have you been doing?" Dean asked his brother over a few beers.

"Tracking down Lilith, hunting demons." He replied.

There was a moment of silence, as each realized they had questions that needed answers. So far, the theory was that demons let him out and that couldn't have been for good reasons. Even if it wasn't a demon and they were wrong, they had to know what brought him back.

They couldn't take chances. They had to figure something out.

"I know a psychic who might help us." Bobby said. "Her name is Pamela Barnes." he added. He took out his cell phone and walked away to talk to her once the brothers nodded their approval.

Sam took out of his pocket the necklace Dean always wore. He gave it to him and when they just stared at each other, the look in Sam's eyes was as if he hadn't felt whole in months. Four months, to be exact.

Dean finally went to the bathroom to clean his lip. He closed the door and locked it. He was worried about why he was back. He was glad, don't get him wrong. But he couldn't shake the feeling that this was wrong.

He put the necklace around his neck and had a flash of Hell: blood, screams, pain, demonic laughter. Only one name was on his lips the whole time: Sam.

He snapped out of it and looked up at his reflection. In the mirror, beside him was a blond woman with green eyes. Her face was soft, as was her smile. He turned and thought he was seeing things, but when she was still there, he knew she wasn't a figment of his imagination.

She wore ripped jeans, tucked into black leather high heel boots, with a white tank top under a black leather jacket. There was only one word for this strange woman; hot. But Dean was in no mood for hot and after what he's been through, he wasn't sure he would anytime soon.

"Hi there Dean." She said softly. Her voice had a sort of echo to it. No, not an echo. It sounded like two of her speaking at the same time.

Dean looked at her and looked at the door. He opened it and looked into the room, only to see it was empty.

"Sam?" Dean asked softly.

"Glad to be back?" she asked him. He glanced back at her and was convinced this was a twisted sort of Hell torture after shock.

"How did you get in here?" he asked her, keeping his guard up and trying to figure out a plan. He felt the counter behind him and felt Sam's razor. He could try to use it. Maybe there was something else he could use.

"Door was opened." She replied, her voice still sounding like dual voices.

"Not this door, I locked it and there's no way you got past Sam and Bobby." He said to her, finger slipping over a comb where one end was very sharp, and with enough force, could be deadly.

"I picked this door and slipped past them as innocently as I can be." She replied. "Now, are we gonna answer with a question, Dean?" she asked him, her soft smile becoming a grin. Towards the end of her sentence, her voice became normal and it was just one voice Dean was hearing.

"How do you know my name?" he asked her.

"Who doesn't know your name? You're famous here and you're certainly famous in Hell." She said, her smile still so sweet. It made Dean's stomach twist.

"What are you?" he asked her.

"A hunter." She said, sitting down on the edge of the tub and crossing one leg over the other.

"Christo." He said, doubting her answer. She only rolled her eyes and grinned at him.

"I'm not a demon, nor am I a monster. Like I said, I'm a hunter. You need my help." She told him. "So drop the Comb of Death, will you?" she said with a sort of glimmer in her eyes.

Dean opened his mouth, about to reply, when Sam knocked at the door.

"Dean, we're ready to go." He said.

Dean looked back at the tub and the strange woman wasn't there. He continued to stare at that spot as if expecting her to reappear like the Cheshire Cat. He eventually opened the door and left to go see Pamela Barnes.

He couldn't get that woman's face out of his mind. Now that he thought of it, she seemed familiar, but he wasn't certain where he had seen her. Either way, he was certain she was connected to his resurrection.


	2. The Second Beginning

The Second Beginning

Bobby drove his car to Pamela as Dean sat in the passenger seat. Sam told him how he was immune to Lilith's powers, how Ruby went back to Hell and how he didn't use his psychic abilities anymore. It made Dean glad to know, in a way, that his little brother was doing fine on his own. He feared Sam would slip or not be able to hunt alone. Sam was always the one who didn't want to hunt, he'd argue with their father and do things differently, but he was really okay on his own.

Dean just stared at Sam from his side mirror, as if trying to figure out what changed and how he felt about it. But he brushed it off, not wanting to think about it. At that moment, there was a sudden sharp pain in his head.

"You okay?" Bobby asked, glancing at Dean.

"Yeah, just a small headache." Dean lied. The pain was gone, but now all he could think about was how much more the pain was in Hell compared to this.

They drove into a driveway and the house was just like Bobby's, but better kept: as in no high grass or weeds around the house. A woman stood on the porch and leaned against the door, waiting with a smile.

Bobby parked the car and cut the engine. He climbed out and said hello to Pamela as if he hadn't seen her in years.

"You're looking good, old man." She said with a grin. Bobby only smiled, as if he expected no less from her.

"This is -" he began.

"Sam and Dean Winchester," She said, walking up to them, sizing them from head to toe. "They're pretty good looking."

She walked up the steps and opened the door for the men.

"So, it'll be a séance today?" she asked Bobby.

"Whatever works." He replied.

She walked up to her round table and took out tools from a nearby chest and began setting them up. Dean told her about the hand prints on his biceps, hoping that might help him figure out his resurrection.

When everything was set, candles were lit and the mood was good. Pamela had the men sit at the table, all holding hands with her and concentrating.

She tapped into something and had a name on the tip of her tongue; Castiel.

"What do you want here?" she asked him. "No, no I don't think so." She replied to something only she could hear. Dean couldn't help but wonder what was going on. She concentrated harder, according to her facial expression.

Something was wrong, they could feel it.

"Pamela?" Bobby asked her.

"Castiel is responsible for Dean's resurrection but all he tells me is to back off." She replied.

"If you don't have to push it, don't." Bobby said to her out of concern. He didn't want this Castiel thing to hurt her.

The flames on the candles grew larger and out of nowhere without a warning, she screamed as she opened her eyes. Her eyes were completely white and glowing.

When her head fell on the table, the men rushed to her side, seeing if she was okay. When she opened, she panicked, as she couldn't see a thing; she was blind. Now Dean began to panic too. What if he hadn't really got out of Hell? What if it followed him? Or worse… he was still in it?

Dean was asleep, but not for long once the nightmares of Hell came and woke him up. Nothing made him feel safe from that crap, not even sleep. It followed him worse than any ghost.

He looked around the motel room and didn't see Sam. He sat up in bed and looked around again and on the other bed sat the blond woman in the same outfit, sitting cross legged and staring at him.

"You again? Who are you?" he asked her.

"The woman of your dreams,." She replied with a grin. "A blond." She added and, even though she didn't laugh, it was almost like Dean could hear it.

"Name." he demanded. "If you don't answer, I'll get my gun and shoot you." He gave her a stern expression, one that said he was serious. And he really was. He was tired of this bullshit.

Her grin fell and, for the first time since he came back, Dean felt a little victorious.

"Name's Valkyrie." She replied, her voice dry compared to her sweet voice from earlier.

"Valkyrie what?" he asked, wanting specifics.

She got off the bed and walked over to the fridge, making a face and closing it, ignoring his question completely. That angered him.

"You have to earn that answer. Sorry." She said as she walked over to him, sitting on the bed. "I bet those demons will be scared. You got out of Hell, something pulled you out. How much you want to bet it wasn't a demon?" she asked.

He found it odd that she'd say something like that, just out of the blue.

"Well what else could it be? There's nothing else." He replied, getting out of bed, uncomfortable with this strange woman so close to him. she gave him the creeps.

"Do you really think Sam is okay?" she asked him. He stopped and glared at her.

"Of course, he's hunting demons and his punches improved." He replied and the woman actually smiled as if she thought that was adorable.

"I don't think the Sam you see today is the same Sam you left behind. Something seems… different." She said and Dean decided this conversation will end now.

"What the hell do you know?" he snapped. "You don't know me. You don't know anything, so just fuck off." He added.

At that moment, he heard the buzzing sounds again and knew it was back, that Castiel thing. It was worse than the first time. The noise was so loud, Dean was sure he'd bleed from the ears and become deaf. When it was over, he opened his eyes and found himself curled up on the floor. When he slowly got back up, the woman was still there. She just stared at him, but in her eyes, was pity.

He looked away, feeling uncomfortable under her eyes, especially the way she looked at him, like an injured animal. When he looked back up, she was gone.

_What the hell is she, a ghost or something?_

He wasn't sure if she even was a ghost, but it would explain why he felt like he saw her before.

_Why would a hunter ghost be haunting me?_

The buzzing sound returned and it got worst, if that was possible. More pain and he fell to his knees. That's when Bobby opened the door and saw Dean on the floor. He saw the mirrors break and looked up above Dean; where there was a large mirror. Not a good thing.

Bobby pulled him out of the way just in time as the mirror above shattered and fell.

They walked outside and Bobby made sure Dean was okay, even though Dean said several times.

"What the hell happened?" Bobby asked.

"A buzzing sound, the one that comes from that Castiel." Dean replied. He looked up to see Bobby thinking. He knew that look and, as much as he trusted the man, he had had enough crazy shit for one day. "Whatever it is, no."

"Want to go closer to death? We need to do something to stop this and I have an idea, so listen." Bobby said. "And you might want to call Sam first." He added, which was more of an order than a suggestion.

Dean took out his cell phone and called Sam. It was ringing over and over again. He thought for sure Sam had his phone off, until he answered.

"Sorry, I'm going to pick up burgers. Got hungry. It'll be awhile" Sam said, as if things were normal. But it wasn't and Dean knew that Sam knew that he couldn't pretend otherwise. It was all in his tone of voice.

"Where? Sounds like you're going on a long trip." Dean said in his old time jokingly manner. It seemed he too was pretending that things were normal. And, of course, Sam knew. They were both pretending. That's all they've ever done to get pass though times, to avoid dealing with it.

"I gotta go, Dean. I'll call you back." And the line went dead.

Dean looked at Bobby and shook his head. Sam wouldn' be any help anyways.

Bobby drove up to an abandoned farm where they could use one of the barns. It was far from people so if anything happened; it was possible no one would know about it.

Bobby covered the walls with symbols which were runes and sigils. Dean prepared weapons and mystic objects as they were going to summon Castiel, learn what it was and how to stop it, possibly even kill it.

Dean felt something and looked at the weapons on the table; they were shaking softly. Then the shaking grew and the lights inside exploded. The doors of the barn flew open and in walked a man under the sparks of the exploding lights.

Bobby grabs a gun and shoots at the man, but it didn't seem to work. The dark haired man in a suit under a trench coat lifted his hand and pointed it at Bobby's forehead. Bobby fell to the ground.

The thoughts in Dean's head went silent. He couldn't lose Bobby. He stared at the guy in disbelief and flashes of Hell returned, only he wasn't so such that's what it was that walked in.

"Dean." the man said. "I am Castiel. I brought you back. I am an angel of the Lord."

It took Dean a few seconds to process, but it felt like hours.

"An angel?" he asked, feeling so disconnected, like he was just watching the scene rather than having a role in it.

Thunder echoed and on the walls grew shadows of angel wings behind Castiel. Those wings disappeared as soon as they had appeared.

"What did you do to Bobby?" Dean asked him, as if that's all he could manage to say.

"He's unconscious. We needed to talk alone. My true voice is what you've been hearing. I thought you could withstand it." He told Dean as he looked around the barn, as if this wasn't a strange situation at all. "My true appearance could cause mortals to lose their sight, which is why I warned the psychic to turn away. So I use this vessel -"

"An innocent man?" Dean asked him, feeling quicker on his feet this time.

"No, he is a devoted man, he allowed this. I brought you back because God wanted it so." Castiel said, as if he really didn't want to get sidetracked on the speech he had prepared.

"God?" Dean asked him.

_What the hell does God want? He never cared before, why now?_

"We have work to do." Castiel said sternly.


	3. Dirt Beneath the Rock

Dirt Beneath the Rock

Dean thought about what Valkyrie had said. Sam wasn't the same. He needed to know if she was right or if she was lying. What didn't help was Castiel: who said that Sam should be stopped or he'd do it himself.

He was worried now. And Sam went to buy burgers which took longer than it normally would.

So, naturally, he followed Sam, who was picked up by a strange car and came to nothing like a fast food restaurant. It was an abandoned farm. He parked his car and walked closer, staying in the shadows where he could see Sam and a woman with long dark hair.

There was a man tied up in a chair and they were talking. Soon, Dean could see Sam extend his hand and a black cloud was pouring out of the man's mouth; a demon.

_Sam's exercising a demon? How?_ _By his psychic abilities? He told me he stopped using them._

The moment he heard Sam say "Ruby", he had to do something and fast. It wasn't something Dean wanted to admit at that very moment, but Sam lied to him… big time.

Out of nowhere, he attacked Ruby and was close to stabbing her with her own knife. Sam pulled her out of the way and shielded her from his brother. The man in the chair was alive and Ruby untied him and walked him out.

Dean only stared at Sam with disbelief and walked away, hurt and enraged before he show Sam how his punches have improved.

Dean parked his car in front of the motel. He walked up to his door, more than enraged now. Once he got in, he began packing his bags.

"I told you he wasn't the same Sammy." Said a female voice. Dean didn't even have to look at her to know it was _her_. But something she said caught his attention. When he looked at her, she was glancing out of the motel window, as if waiting for something… or someone.

"How do you know things that -" he began.

"You should know by now that women always know more than men think." She replied, her facial expression serious, almost worried. She pulled away just as the sounds of a car driving up could be heard. Dean looked down at his bag as a car door slammed. When he looked at the window, she was gone and the car too.

Someone was coming. The door opened.

"Dean -" Sam began when they stared at each other, when he approached his brother. He didn't have a chance to say anything else. Dean punched him, showing him that his blows had gotten better too. "Okay, I deserved that." Sam said and received another punch. "I didn't deserve that." He added and glared at Dean.

"Yes you did. You lied to me. You told me Ruby was dead and you weren't using your psychic abilities and I see you with Ruby getting out a possessing demon." Dean said, wishing he could add in a few more colorful words. He should have known. What Sam told him in Bobby's car was the completely opposite!

"By doing this, lives are being saved. It's not like what we did. By this, I get rid of the demons and the person lives." He explains.

"You are going down a slippery road and when an angel tells me it needs to stop, I think they know what they're talking about." Dean said, voicing the concerns that he adopted. After what he saw, he understood what Castiel was saying.

"What was I supposed to do? You were gone and I did everything I could to get you back." Sam said, and then he paused as if he was processing Dean's words. "And you didn't believe in God or angels, so why now?" Sam asked his brother. "Why trust an angel you hardly know?"

"Why trust a demon after we've always been taught to never trust the bastards?" Dean replied. "If I didn't know you, I'd want to hunt you. I don't see this going good and neither does Heaven."

Sam was about to answer when his cell phone rang; Bobby had a case, a demon unlike others they have fought, one that prompted concern, one known as "Lord of the Flies".

As Dean drove, Sam researched the demon that was named Beelzebub, for he remembered reading that this was one of the seven princes of Hell, the Lord of the Flies.

"Does it have anything to do with that stupid book, 'Lord of the Flies' by William Golding?" Dean asked Sam, remembering how, in one of the many high schools, he had to read the damned book.

"Did you actually read it?" Sam asked him after a moment of silence. It sounded like disbelief.

"Hell no, got past the first page and fell asleep." He replied.

Sam just brushed it off and kept on researching to see if there was anything he might have missed. The web page talked very little about the seven princes of Hell, so he searched that next. Names popped up such as Mephistopheles, Lucifuge Rofocale who was in charge of Hell's government, Leviathan who is the gatekeeper, Baal, Asmodeus and Belial. In Binsfeld's classification of demons, each one of the princes represents one of the seven deadly sins. Some even say the seven princes of Hell are the birth parents of the seven deadly sins.

When Sam researched more into the seven deadly sins, he felt as if there was an error. Some of the deadly sins weren't represented by all the seven princes. The classification was created in 1589, so maybe things had changed and no one made notice of it.

The point is that Lucifer is said to be Pride. Mammon is Greed. Asmodeus is Lust. Leviathan is Envy. Beelzebub is gluttony. Satan is wrath and Belphegor is vanity and sloth, so the web page had said.

He didn't really know if it was wrong, so he ignored it and focused on Beelzebub.

"So, got anything else?" Dean asked his brother.

"Not really, seems no one really knows much about Beelzebub and the other princes of Hell." Sam said. He looked at Dean who seemed confused. "There's seven princes of Hell and -"

"Save it, we'll deal with this one and the others some other day." Dean said. Clearly, he was still bothered and angry, only Sam didn't know if it was mostly Hell or him with Ruby.

They arrived at their destination, and parked in front of a library. They watched as lights inside were on and someone was walking about. They had seen enough to know what it was.

"What the hell is a demon doing in a library?" asked Dean.

"Uh, reading?" Sam replied still reading informations off the net that didn't help him any further. But he needed something to do and this was doing the trick.

"Smartass." Dean mumbled. "Okay, so we go in like the men in black and terminate this son of a bitch." Dean said, starting to get out of the silent impala before Sam could agree.

"We might want to be more careful." Sam responded as he joined his brother. He was worried that Dean wasn't ready for a hunt just yet. He kept acting as if everything was fine, when clearly, it wasn't.

"Alright, we'll go in through the back door like the men in black. Happy?" he asked and took larger strides as if annoyed.

Sam and Dean entered through the back door with complete silence and caution. Flies were buzzing throughout the library. There was a smell that made them uncomfortable.

"Beelzebub is gluttony?" Dean asked Sam who nodded. "I'm expecting to see a pig's head on a stick any time now." He added and continued to scan the place.

Sam stopped and slowly glanced behind at his brother.

"I thought you said you didn't read the book?"

"I didn't, I saw the movie." Dean replied.

It was typical of Dean to always watch the movies to the books. He should have known. Sam brushed it off and continued. He stopped when he saw someone sitting in a chair, reading a book; Beelzebub. And if it wasn't, they were deep in shit.

"C'mon in, boys. I've been waiting." The man in the chair called out to them.

Sam and Dean let out mumbled curses and entered the room with extreme caution. As they got closer, Dean caught sight of the book; Lord of the Flies. Typical.

"Great book isn't it?" Beelzebub asked them. "I feel so honored that they wrote such a book."

Dean rolled his eyes. They're here to kill him and he talks about a damned stupid book.

"What brings you in town?" Sam asked the demon.

"Oh, you know, business." He replied. He stood up and straightened his tie. The demon had possessed a sort of scholar, but he was young and fairly good looking. "What brings you boys here?" he asked.

"You." Dean answered.

"Oh, how sweet. Unfortunately, I have to run. Busy, busy, busy." He said, but the Winchesters wouldn't get out of his way. "Pride said Azazel wouldn't protect you anymore." He said looking at Sam. "I'd say you don't need his protection. Just look at you, big and strong, so powerful. What's your secret?" he asked with a grin and focused his attention on Dean. "And Dean, back from the dead. Crap. Bloody angel has to let you out. I hope you can see what game you'll soon be playing. That's what it is with angels, you know. Games." He said, looking at Dean.

"Like it isn't with demons." Dean replied. Beelzebub shrugged his shoulders with a slight grin. He closed his book and placed it in his argyle sweater.

"The big finale, the last show…" he said, looking at the brothers as if he expected them to join in on the fun.

The brothers' expressions told the demon they weren't so convinced.

"The apocalypse. Gosh, do I have to spell it out for you? Angels never do much here unless it's near an apocalypse. And since one pulled you out of our fun house, that only means one thing, _the_ apocalypse is here. Little Lilith is having fun, the little master's pet." He said, almost hissing on those last words, as if he loathed Lilith. At that moment, he noticed the look changed on Sam's face.

"I heard you've been tracking her, well you better hurry." The demon said.

As Dean lifted out of his jacket holy water, Beelzebub left the human vessel and escaped.

The Winchesters finished their night in a motel room. They had planned to leave, knowing the demon wouldn't stay in the same town, after all, he had said he was busy, not that they took him seriously.

But when Sam and Dean noticed the town seemed too quiet, almost dead, they knew there was a problem. The second clue; flies, Beelzebub was still here and he had done something.

Sam and Dean walked down the streets with a few weapons. They were in the center of the town and Sam had an idea.

"Maybe we should split up. You keep going south and I'll go north."

"Why?" Dean asked him.

"You saw the movie, right?" Sam said and left. As Dean continued, it hit him. In the book, 'Lord of the Flies', a plane of boys crashed on an island, the group of boys became two groups, one against the other and one gained more power. If Beelzebub loved the book so much, maybe he made it real, took children and separated them into two groups that would fight each other.

Yeah, so much for angels being the only ones to play games.


	4. A Fork in the Road

A Fork in the Road

Hiding behind a garbage bin, he peaked around and saw kids, all boys together and listening to one who held a gun. Dean remembered in the movie it was a conch shell and only one kid had it, the leader of the less powerful group, the good kids.

He turned away and took out his cell phone to call Sam, but there was no signal.

"What do you suppose he meant by Sam's secret?" he heard a female voice say. Dean glanced beside him and saw the blond woman; Valkyrie.

_Is it the first time I actually call her by her name?_

"How do you show up like this, out of nowhere? Are you a ghost?" he asked her, brushing off his inner thought. Why did it matter if it was the first time he used her name?

"Like Casper, the friendly ghost?" she said with a grin. "Maybe, maybe not. My question was -"

"Yeah yeah, I heard you. I don't know." He replied, peaking again at the kids, thinking of what to do. Only, he couldn't. He just kept thinking about her. Was it just him or was he getting used to having her around pestering him with questions?

"Maybe you do know, just don't want to say it out loud." She told him.

He didn't respond, which made her frustrated, or so he thought, judging by the tone of her voice.

"Go find Sam, no use staying here when the action will be on the other side of town, just like the movie." She said. When Dean turned to look at her, she was gone.

_It's like she's in my head. God, that's annoying._

Sam peaked around the corner at the large group of kids. This was obviously the bad one and he really believed it when he saw heads on sticks, planted like warnings to the other group to back off.

He nearly jumped when someone tapped him on the shoulder, but he relaxed when it was Dean.

"Yeah, just like the movie, both groups are at opposite ends of the joint." Dean said.

Sam glanced at the street and saw the other group of boys coming. This is where they'd have a battle and he knew it. He glanced back at the larger group, mostly the leader, who had black eyes and a grin: Beelzebub.

"We need to get that one." Sam pointed to the boy that contained Beelzebub.

"Yeah, we'll just walk right through and get him. Sure, that'll work out great." Dean replied. Sam ignored him and went down the back street. They'd have to sneak their way through. He didn't want to hurt the boy, but he couldn't use his abilities to kill Beelzebub in front of Dean. The only option was to exorcise him back to Hell.

As they reached the group, the battle had already begun and Beelzebub was out of sight. Sam searched the crowd but still no sign of the demon, until he heard Dean behind him.

He was thrown back and Beelzebub was in between them.

"I didn't fool you much, did I?" he said with a grin. "I guess I'm slipping." He threw Dean back further, but not doing anything else. Sam knew what the demon was trying to do; get Sam to use his ability. The very thing he didn't want to do, not at that moment.

Dean watched his brother and Beelzebub, but his attention was attracted by the fighting boys and one girl in the background. She was walking right through the group and into one building. Could it be Lilith or was he just seeing things? Being thrown around like a rag doll by a demon could do that to you. Dean found it strange, but focused on his situation, since his life was possibly at stake.

Beelzebub approached him with a weapon. Dean saw it and reached for his bottle of holy water, when Beelzebub stopped and black smoke poured out of his mouth. His face was contorted with agony and soon he collapsed on the ground, around the boy's body was the ground burning, as if Beelzebub was dying.

Dean looked up at Sam, who had his hand out stretched and blood from his nose. He had killed a demon with his ability, he had used what the Yellow Eyed Demon had given him. There was no way that was simply psychic abilities. There was a great chance that it was a demonic power.

Now Dean fully understood why Castiel told him his brother had to be stopped; or he could possibly become a demon.

In the impala, things were quiet, more than usual. Dean didn't say a thing about what Sam had done and Sam knew his brother was scared and uncertain. It was burning Sam inside, not being able to talk about it like they would about other things, so he just talked.

"The night Mom died, the Yellow Eyed Demon…it was his blood and I knew that, it's been a year." Sam said. "I've known that for a year now." He added, and it felt good to say it instead of letting it burn in him. He hated keeping secrets from his brother and wished he didn't need to.

Dean said nothing, which told Sam he wasn't impressed. Silent Dean is never a good sign. But he continued because it had to be said.

"I understand that you feel like I'm doing something dangerous…so I'm going to stop. I'm stopping for my sake. I only used it because he was going to kill you." He said.

"Good." Was all Dean had said. He was going to add he had his holy water in his hand just in case, but didn't.

Sam wished he had said more, but it was better than nothing.

Dark red blood mixed with bright red blood, screams of agony and laughter from the most evil things you could fear from the darkness. Flesh was ripped off and no one came to help. He was on that rack every damned day and it was painful, but he couldn't say yes, until…

Dean woke up in sweat. His heart was racing and it felt like his entire body was in pain. He looked up and saw Castiel sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at nothing.

_Great, if I'm not visited by Valkyrie, it's by Castiel. _

"Lilith is breaking the seals." He said.

"Seals?" Dean asked, after he rubbed his face and processed the words. He asked to make sure he heard clearly.

"Yes, 66 seals to set Lucifer free. She's breaking them and we need to stop her. Beelzebub's death was one of the first seals." He said and Dean cursed under his breath. It did seem way to easy, even for Sam and his new mojo. "There'll be a witch in a town, awaking Samhain." Castiel said.

Dean blinked hard, thinking he was dreaming; Castiel wasn't there. He was awake enough to realize Castiel did another disappearing act.

There had been two deaths, one was a husband and the other a teenage girl. At a Halloween party, a girl named Tracy told them she didn't know the Wallace family. But was Dean watched the Wallace residence and saw the babysitter; Tracy walk out, he knew she had lied.

He called Sam who was at her school, talking to her teachers. Apparently Tracy is alone, no parents and has freaky talents in art.

"Meet me at the motel." Dean said before hanging up. He looked up and didn't see Tracy. He drove down the street and still, there was no sign of her.

He drove up in front of the motel where Sam just stepped out of a cab. He paid the drive and walked over to Dean.

"Did you track her?" he asked Dean.

"I saw her come out of the Wallace place, but then I lost her." He replied as he pulled out their keys. He unlocked the door and walked in to see Castiel sitting at the kitchenette table reading a newspaper.

"The witch is on to you." He said as he pulled out of his jacket a hex bag and threw it to Dean. He stood up and walked over to Dean. He looked at Sam who seemed excited to meet an angel.

"Congratulations Sam for no longer using your abilities." Castiel said. Sam extended his hand for a hand shake. Castiel hesitated, but gave in.

"The witch can hide herself from the angels, so if you don't succeed on saving the seal, I'll have to call a specialist and destroy the town altogether. I'm giving you time." Castiel told them before leaving.

_What a bundle of joy that one is._

They tried to find Tracy's apartment, hoping she would be there, but she wasn't. If she wasn't there, they'd never be able to find her in time. Castiel wasn't going to help them find her, so they searched the whole town.

Then it was too late. They saw Samhain and Sam grabbed two masks, the old tradition, to hide themselves from Samhain.

Sam followed him while Dean checked on Tracy. When he saw her dead body lying in her own blood, he caught up with Sam. They arrived at the cemetery, in a mausoleum. They walked in slowly and saw Samhain turn the corner. They followed with caution and Dean spotted a party of teens trapped in one room. Dean took out Ruby's knife and gave it to Sam.

"Go kill him while I free these idiots." Dean said. Sam turned the corner and the teens were begging Dean to let them out. As if he was just pretending. At that moment, dead bodies inside began to wake up and move, coming out.

They screamed and Dean worked faster. Once he opened the gate, they ran out while one or two students were already killed by the living dead.

A ghost tossed him aside without warning. He took out his lighter and decided to torch them all.

Sam caught Samhain's attention. He took out Ruby's knife but Samhain with his powers flipped it out of Sam's grip. Sam had nothing to kill Samhain with, expect for his own power. He promised he wouldn't, but what else was he supposed to do? Give a nervous smile and run for Dean? No, enough running to the older brother for help, time to stand up.

Sam held out his hand and tried to grip Samhain and throw him back to Hell. It took more effort than a simple demon, but he was doing it. Once Samhain was gone, Sam couldn't believe it. He really did it. He felt proud than the shame arrived when he turned and saw Dean standing there, looking at him as if he'd seen death. Blood fell onto the floor and Sam wiped away the blood.

Dean sat only in the park, looking down at the grass and rocks and thought about his life and how it was going.

"Cheer up, you're alive." A female voice said beside him. He looked over and saw Valkyrie.

"Are you really a ghost?" he asked her. She sighed and sat next to him.

"Fine. I'm a ghost. Sorry to disappoint." She said with a hint of sarcasm. "I know Sam betrayed you, but face it, everything will be…" she said, thinking, but she couldn't finish her sentence. "Okay, so far it sucks and it doesn't look good. Your brother is probably going to become a demon and you'll have to kill." She concluded.

Dean shot her a glare and had enough. Just where did she come up with these things? It's like she thought she could talk about anything and everything.

"Shut up." Dean said. "Just stop talking about me and my brother." He said, looking away, noticing a mother watching him oddly as she walked away… faster.

"Well it was all you had, Dean. You should have listened to your father. Should have left Sam dead, then none of this will happen." She said.

He ran her words through his mind and wondered what she was talking about. None of that made sense and what the Hell did she mean "will happen"?

He glanced over and instead of Valkyrie, it was Castiel.

_What the fuck? I'm starting to think Castiel is disguising himself as a woman just to get inside my head and piss me off._

"Technically, your time was up. The specialist came, but for the first time, I defied my orders, sent him back and gave you more time, more than I promised." He said without looking at Dean.

"Are you awaiting a 'thank you'?" Dean asked him.

"No, simply to tell you it was a test, for you. I don't know if you passed, for I don't know what is right and wrong." Castiel said and Dean just stared at him, not knowing how to take him. His mind must be like a box of crazy kittens. "The seal is broken and Hell is closer, but it was either sacrifice many or save everyone and let the seal break. What is the right thing in that?" he asked Dean, this time looking at him.

_Oh yeah, crazy kittens._

When Dean didn't answer, he continued. Apparently being stared at like he was a madman wasn't giving him useful answers.

"All I can say is: prepare yourself, for more is to come."


	5. Twist the Knife

Twist The Knife

Sam and Dean had a new case, thanks to Bobby. A siren at a strip club who told men to kill their wives or mothers and they could be with the siren for always. They had spoken to one victim who was in jail, wanting death. They went to the strip club as FBI's, but the owner had no paper work and they couldn't tell which one of the strippers was a siren.

Sam was talking with the last victim, Lenny who killed his mother. Dean researched at the motel and reached for his phone, only it wasn't his, but Sam's. Dean stared at it, thinking of looking to see who the last caller was, but something told him he didn't want to know.

He looked over his shoulder and looked around, then called the last number. A woman, a voice he heard nights ago; Ruby.

Dean hung up and slammed the phone onto the table. A car motor arrived and went silent; Sam was back. He went back to the research and acted as if nothing had happened.

As soon as Sam walked in, Dean's phone rang. He answered it to hear Bobby.

"A siren tricks a man with a song, a spell. I figure it's a sort of venom. If she gets a dose of her own venom, she's dead. Another way to kill her is with a bronze dagger covered in the blood of someone under her spell. Once someone does as she says, the spell is over." Bobby said.

"Thanks." Dean hung up and looked at Sam.

They decided to go to the hospital; one doctor in particular was assigned to the case of the victims. All of them were fine, so it was no big worry. They thought for sure maybe the doctor noticed something strange, but didn't tell anyone, thinking no one would believe it.

As they walked in, another FBI stepped up, claiming he was on the case. Dean gave him the number of their supervisor, who just happened to be Bobby, giving a convincing performance.

"I'm sorry." He said. He held out his hand in a hand shake to Dean. "Nick Monroe."

"Dean Smith and this is my partner Sam Holmes." Dean said as he shook his hand.

"Well, I was going to question the strippers." Said Monroe.

"I'll talk with the doctor, Dean, why not go with him." Sam said. He needed Monroe out in order to talk to the doctor.

"Sure."

"Sweet ride." Monroe said as they got out of the impala at the strip club. "I always wanted to drive a Chevy Impala."

"Really?" Dean asked him.

"Yeah, you're lucky you can drive it. I drive this old piece of crap that's ready to fall apart." He said with a laugh. Dean just ignored his comment because it wasn't important enough to care about.

They entered the strip club, questioned the strippers who all said they don't pay attention to the others, only on themselves. There are always new people; it's hard to keep up.

So they ended their time drinking beer at a table and talking about classic rock and the case. Dean liked this guy, they had things in common.

Monroe took a sip out of his beer and made a face.

"Is it just me or does this beer taste odd." He said.

Dean took a sip out of his own.

"No, tastes okay."

"Maybe it's just mine." He said. "Care to see?" he asked Dean.

Dean hesitated than figured, what the hell. He took the bottle and took a sip. It tasted like his, nothing wrong with it.

"Okay."

"Must be me, than. Thanks anyway." He said. "So, this poison theory of yours, I don't really know if that's it. If you ask me, I think it's saliva. You and your brother aren't so close anymore, right?"

Sam returned to their motel room, expecting to see Dean already there, but instead it was Monroe. Then he felt a knife at his throat; Dean. Monroe was the siren, for his brother was under the spell. They never thought the siren would take on a male image.

"Dean is way under my control. It was easy, actually. All I had to do is give him the brother he wanted. One that had things in common with and one that didn't go against him. I'd rather be doing my usual job, but you two just had to get in my way." Monroe said as he opened Sam's mouth and spitted. "So the winner can be with me, forever." He said to them and stood back, watching them glare at each other. But the siren, as always, never had the intentions of keeping that true.

"The Sam I knew is far gone and I know you're calling that demon bitch." Dean said.

"You're too damned weak to hunt, I'm the better hunter. Faster and better. At least I'm not weak and helpless." Sam replied.

They took swings at each other and soon came blood. Sam pushed Dean and busted the door. They continued their fighting in the hallway. Dean got up and grabbed the fire axe, ready to swing on Sam who was recovering from a hard blow to the head. The siren was smiling, until Bobby stabbed Dean in the shoulder from the back and threw the knife, getting the siren in the chest.

Bobby made sure both brothers were okay then left, leaving them rest. He had a feeling he should be there with them, in case this Monroe wasn't who he said he was. And he was right. It was a good thing he came down or else Dean would have killed his brother and end up doing another stupid deal to bring back his dead ass.

Both took a rest, recovering. Dean couldn't sleep. Sam was out cold, with a blow to the head like that, who wouldn't be. Dean got up, his shoulder flaring up in pain. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer.

"I was right." A female voice said. "Things will be happening and it's not anything good. Sam just called you weak."

"It was the siren's spell talking." Dean replied. He turned around and sat down at that table where Valkyrie sat facing him with her arms crossed over her chest and one leg over the other. "Do ghosts drink?" he asked her, titling his bottle of beer.

"No, but thanks." She said. "I don't think it was the siren talking. You said it yourself that your old Sammy was gone, like I told you. We all know Sam has changed and you wouldn't have said it if you didn't believe it." She said.

"We always get angry at each other, saying things." Dean replied.

"But never like this. Dean, face up to it, things are really different and you're losing your brother to a demon. If I were you, I'd ask him what he really did when you were gone and you should tell him about Hell." She said, face serious.

He considered the Sam part, but never was he going to talk about Hell.

"Who appointed you as my guidance counselor?" Dean asked. He heard a small laughter, but she was gone.

_I feel like I'm going out of my mind. Seeing her is becoming almost normal. And is it just me or are things happening so fast? Maybe it's just me, trying to focus on something, anything other than Hell._

Sam woke up and Dean asked if they could talk.

"I'm really sorry for what I said -"

"Me too, so don't worry about it. We're good." Dean replied. "I need to know, what happened when I was in Hell." Dean asked. "Honestly."

Sam hesitated, but answered, since Dean does know something happened or else Sam wouldn't have any abilities at all.

"I went to the crossroads and the demons wouldn't let me trade my soul for yours. They told me they had you where they wanted you. Then Ruby came up one night and told me she could help me save you. She told me we had to do it right this time. If I just went in after Lilith, I'd be dead. So she made sure I didn't do that and… trained me." Sam said.

Dean nodded his head, taking it in, accepting it. His brother did what he could to save him and if that meant trusting a demon, okay. But still, Dean doubted Ruby was on their side. Demons were never trustworthy, but Ruby was once human; it might be possible she's with them.

"What happened in Hell, Dean?" Sam asked him.

Dean didn't want to talk about it; it wasn't something he wanted to say.

"Nothing."

In the middle of the night, Dean just woke up, as if his body was on alert when his soul wasn't. He sat up and saw Castiel on the edge of his bed, again.

"We have someone to question about what Lilith is doing and where she is, but he won't talk for us." He said. "He requested you." He added. He didn't turn to look at Dean, which made Dean suspicious.

"Who is _he_?" he asked the angel.

"Alastair." Castiel said.

Dean froze the name he wished never to hear ever again. Alastair was the one who tortured him in Hell, who asked him every day if he wanted off the rack until he –

"No." Dean said.

"Dean, please." Castiel said.

"I don't care, if you said pretty please with a fucking cherry on top. No. If that wasn't clear, it's hell no. No way. No." Dean said and laid back down, turning his back to the angel.

"Sorry Dean." Castiel said appearing in front of him and placed his fingers on Dean's forehead.


	6. Crazy on You

Crazy on You

Dean stood in front of two doors with windows in it. He looked at his surroundings, an abandoned garage. Castiel appeared beside him.

"In order to get answers out of him, we need to torture him, it's the only way and even then, he won't talk." He told Dean.

"So, that's your problem." Dean replied. He didn't want to see Alastair and he was being forced to. Yeah, angels: there to help mankind.

"Do you want to stop the apocalypse?" he asked Dean.

"You're the angel, I'm just human." Dean replied, implying that if anyone can stop it, it _should_ be the angel, not the human.

Castiel looked down at the ground. Was it a sort of sympathy thing?

"I'd do it myself, if that meant you didn't have to, but you must, it's Heaven's orders." He told Dean. It took all that Dean had not to turn around and punch Castiel.

_If Heaven wants Alastair to talk, then why doesn't it send the big guns to do it itself?_

"Well Heaven can kiss my ass. Heaven can do it itself." Dean said, sharing his thoughts and turning away. He stopped immediately before he bumped into a man. He looked at him and first thought was he looked like a biker without the bandana and tattoos, just the long blond hair and a business suit.

"Castiel, there's no need for this." He said, looking at him. Dean glanced over and for sure he thought he saw fear in Castiel's eyes.

"I -" Castiel began, but stopped when the biker man held up his hand.

"Was following previous orders. It's not your fault you didn't get the new memo." He said.

Castiel gave a confused expression as if to confirm he indeed didn't get the new memo.

"Dean," he said to get the Winchester's attention. "Go back, before Sam wakes up and panics." He said.

"I would, if I could. You are?" Dean asked him.

"A dear friend, almost a brother." He said with a smile that looked almost like a smile. He held up his fingers and touched Dean's forehead.

Dean sat up and realized he was in bed, under the blankets. Did he dream that? Or did he really go to that place to torture Alastair?

Sam woke him up and told him there was a small book store that might be haunted. It had flickering lights, cold spots and noises.

_Geez, might be haunted? You think?_

Dean was half asleep so all he did was nod and think sarcastically.

They walked into this book store as FBI agents and the owner looked at them oddly. They questioned him and his eyes were analyzing everything they were wearing and doing. The guy was flipping crazy.

"Oh, I get it now, ghosts." The owner said. "Live action role play, eh?" he asked.

Sam and Dean exchanged looks and glanced back at the owner, searching his face to see if he was joking.

"What?" Sam asked him.

"Two brothers, pretending to be agents and stuff to solve mysteries, kill monsters, get rid of ghosts and fight demons. Their names are… Derk…Seth…" he went on, unsure about the names.

"Sam and Dean?" Sam asked him, hoping the answer would be no.

"Yeah, that's it. Sam and Dean…"

"Winchester?" Dean asked him.

"Yeah. Fans, eh?" he asked them, smiling. The brothers didn't really know what to say or do.

"Caught us." Sam said. "Got any of these books?" he asked the owner.

"Supernatural? Yeah, read a few, they're pretty good." He said. He walked over to a bin marked sale. He picked up one book and gave it to them.

Sam read the back while Dean searched for more.

"This is exactly us." Sam said.

Dean turned and asked the owner for all the Supernatural copies he had.

Dean sat there reading a few while Sam researched the author; Carver Edlund. He picked up another book, one that was when he died and went to Hell. He placed one down and picked up the last one of the collection, the one where he came back from Hell.

He could have sworn out loud, but Sam would have gotten suspicious and he didn't want Sam to see this. In the book, was a character named Valkyrie! She was in the book!

"By the look of your face, I'd say I'm famous." Said a female voice. He looked up and saw her sitting on the bed beside him, smiling. He glanced at Sam, but he didn't notice or hear her at all. "Don't worry, like you said, ghost." she said and tapped her nose. Whatever the Hell that meant.

He looked back into the book and read more about her. All that happened with her was in there. Now, how many people know he has a ghost on him? The hunter is haunted. Great, isn't that funny. Oh, but wait, it gets better: the hunter is haunted by a fellow hunter ghost. Talk about the twilight zone.

"So, isn't it weird? You wanted people to know you helped save the world and got bummed when you couldn't tell, and here, it's being told, in a book. You got your wish." She said, giving him a soft smile. "Who's my superman?" she asked with a large smile filled with mockery.

He couldn't tell her off out loud, so he settled for flipping her the bird.

"Real mature." She said. "Butthead."

He looked at her and glared.

"What, cat got your tongue? Can't talk? Oh, right, don't want people to think you fell off the sanity wagon and bumped your head." She said with a grin.

_Since when did she become sarcastic?_

"Got an address!" Sam said, which snapped Dean out of it.

"Thank God." Dean said as he got off the bed and saw Valkyrie glare at him. "What is it?" he asked and when he glanced over his shoulder, she was gone.

The author was Chuck Shurley and lived alone in a small house. He had a van in his driveway, obviously his. From the looks for things, he wasn't a famous well known author that made millions.

Dean felt somewhat disappointed and angry. One: was anyone reading their stories? Realizing they were awesome heroes? Two: their lives were personal and the going to Hell and back, that was way personal. Who has the rights to know about that?

Sam and Dean knocked at the door and waited for a while. The door opened and it was a short man in a bath robe, looking as if he just woke up or was drinking too much and had a hangover.

"Chuck Shurley?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, who are you?" he asked.

"We're about your books." He added.

"I don't do autographs, sorry." He said as he began to close his door. Dean stuck his foot out and stopped it.

"Your books, are about us." He said with a stern tone of voice and facial expression.

"Okay, creepy." Chuck whispered to himself.

"Creepy? What creepy is, is you're writing out our life stories and publishing it for everyone to read." Dean added.

"Are you off your meds?" Chuck asked him. Dean was about to approach him but Sam stopped him by stepping in front of him.

"I'm Sam and this is my brother Dean." he said and watched Chuck's reaction. "Winchester." He added.

"Okay -" Chuck began.

"We're not fans, you're the real deal. Your books are about us." Dean said. "And if you don't believe us, we'll show you." He said. He turned and walked to the car and Chuck followed him with Sam behind. Dean opened the trunk of the impala and opened the trap door where all the guns and weapons were hidden. Chuck stood there, frightened. They were either really big fans and didn't want to admit it or really crazy, thinking they are the characters.

Chuck was speechless, mostly out of fear.

He went back into his house and left the door open, letting them in. He grabbed a bottle of alcohol and took a large sip.

Sam and Dean looked around while standing there. You could tell he was living alone, and living single.

_Obviously, not by choice._

"My characters have come to life…I must be a God." Chuck said to himself.

"You're not a God and we aren't your characters." Dean said, getting agitated. Sam saw papers and walked over to them. He read the first lines of the top page and it was them coming over the Chuck's house, knocking at the door.

Sam gestured Dean over while Chuck was talking to himself, calling himself a God with mighty powers that he didn't know about. Dean read it and glanced at Sam with confusion.

Sam and Dean went and rented a room at a motel and asked Chuck if they could read his last manuscript while they washed their laundry. Sam shoved the last of his clothes in as Dean read the manuscript.

"This is crazy, it hurts my head." Dean said. "Dean sits and reads a manuscript while Sam washes his clothes, thinking of what this author is and why it's happening." Dean said. "Who is he?" Dean asked Sam and then paused when he continued reading. "Dean questions who the author is." He added and looked up with this look that said he wasn't impressed.

"Stop, you're making my head hurt too." Valkyrie said, sitting beside him on the other side. She was holding her head in her hands and glared at Dean when she sat up straight.

Sam returned and grabbed the script out of his brother's hands as Dean was looking at Valkyrie, who was rubbing her temples. Only after did Dean realize it and tried to rip it out of his brother's hands.

Sam stepped back and his jaw fell.

"There's another person in here, Dean, a woman by the name of Valkyrie." Sam said, looking up at Dean, horrified and confused.

"Yeah, that's my…ghost." Dean said, not really sure what to say.

"Smooth." Valkyrie said. "A ghost only _you_ can see. Yeah, that doesn't scream crazy at all." She added. Dean shot her a glare and looked back at his brother.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Since I came back, this ghost has been following me." Dean said. He watched as Sam was still confused.

"Then why can't I see her?" Sam asked, looking back at the script. He was reading everything Valkyrie was saying and read the last line. "The woman tells Dean his brother isn't special enough to see her." He added and shot Dean a glare.

Dean, who was grinning, glanced at Valkyrie, who was shocked.

"Crap, I was just gonna say that. Wow, this Chuck, he's good." She said.

Dean glanced back at Sam, who read off the script and repeated what Valkyrie had said.

"You have a ghost haunting you and you never told me?" Sam asked him.

"It's not something you just blurt out, plus, she's not so bad." Dean said.

"Well, thank you." She said sarcastically. He glanced over and she wasn't there. Sam walked up and placed the script beside him.

"We could have gotten rid of her. A ghost haunting someone is not a good thing." Sam said and Dean just shook his head.

"Well excuse me, Mr. Ghostbuster. She doesn't harm me, she only talks to me. I know that sounds crazy, but she stays." Dean said and got to his feet.


	7. A Little Slip

A Little Slip

Sam and Dean went back to Chuck to try to figure this out. There had to be a logical explanation. He knew things, like a psychic would but even more precise. Was that it, he was a sort of strong psychic and he didn't know?

Chuck walked out of the kitchen and glanced at them. Sam gave him the manuscript, clean and undamaged. Chuck smiled and placed it on the table.

"Okay, what are you?" Dean asked him. "How can you know so much? You know every detail of our lives."

"He's a prophet of the Lord." A voice said behind them. All three men glanced at Castiel who was reading one of Chuck's Supernatural books that were on his book shelf. He placed it down and walked over to Chuck, extending his hand. "I'm quite honored to meet you." Castiel told him. He turned to Sam and Dean. "One day, Chuck's books will become the Winchester Gospel."

_Yeah, fucking twilight zone. I'll take a crazy conversation with Valkyrie over this shit any time._

Chucks left the room, confused and unsure of what was going on.

"A prophet?" Dean asked the angel.

"Yes. His words cannot be unwritten, so whatever happens, will happen." Castiel said, giving Dean an odd stare. "There is nothing here for you, so I suggest you leave."

Sam and Dean had left. Dean argued but Sam didn't want to see what would happen if an angel got angry. They drove for miles and switched so Dean could get some sleep. Just as Dean was drifting off to sleep, he woke up, hearing a voice.

"Hey, wake up, moron." It was a female voice. Dean should have known it was Valkyrie, but being half asleep, he wasn't really thinking. "Angels, the apocalypse, a prophet named Chuck; it's all so crazy isn't it? I mean, what is going on? Where are the angels and the demons, getting ready for war? They're all busy taking calls and doing their own thing. Where do you and Sam fit in this? Well Sam we know, he'll be leading the demon army, but you? What have you done?" she asked him.

"Will you shut up?" Dean whispered and went back to sleep position. He didn't even understand what she was saying, especially being half asleep.

"Dean?" Sam asked. "Are you talking to that ghost again?"

"Yup." He answered without moving.

"We can still get rid of her." Sam said.

"The answer is no." Dean replied. He couldn't explain to anyone not even himself why he wanted Valkyrie to stay. She pissed him off, but it was like she was saying things he didn't want to.

Valkyrie was quiet, which Dean hoped that meant she was gone.

"Makes me wonder, angels and demons, Sam and Ruby, that guy calling you a brother…what if you're the opposite of the demons? What if the way Castiel looked at you yesterday said it all?" she said, as if she was excited.

"What's your point?" he asked her.

"What if you're… an angel?" she asked, and she sounded serious.

He sat up and glanced at her, but she was gone. The back seat of his car was empty. Sam stopped the car and he got out of the car to stretch.

_What kind of bullshit has that ghost sniffed?_

"Do we have anything to eat?" Dean asked his brother.

"There's a sandwich in the back." Sam replied while he was brushing his teeth.

There was a noise, a cell phone. Dean went to the car and noticed it wasn't his cell phone. The noise came from the glove compartment and when he opened it up, the sounds came from his father's cell phone. He answered.

"Hello?" Dean asked.

"Hi, I'm Adam Milligan, do you know where John is?" a boyish voice said.

"Listen kid, John died two years ago. Why do you want to know?" Dean asked him.

"I'm his son."

"No fucking way. That is so not true. Your Dad was great, he loved your Mother, he was true to this family and he loved you. No fucking way did he go cheat on her and have a little wimp on the side." Valkyrie shouted in the back seat. Dean covered his ears and tried not to pay attention to the odd stares Sam gave him as he drove the Impala.

Dean kept shouting at her to shut up, but she just continued. Out of all the ghosts, Dean had to get the annoying blond that never could keep quiet.

"Valkyrie, could you please shut up. You're only making me angrier." Dean said.

"You should be, Dean." She said, whispering in his ear. "It's all true. Adam is your brother."

He turned around rapidly and found the back seat empty.

"Bitch." He mumbled. Sam raised an eyebrow and looked at the road ahead.

"We should get rid of her, Dean." Sam said.

"No, she just gets annoying at times." He said. There was silence, and then Dean spoke. "This Adam has to be a shape shifter or something, probably just another demon trying to get at us."

Sam was silent, part of him agreed with Dean's theory and part of him didn't want to judge things too fast. It was possible they did have another brother, since their father wasn't the best man in the world.

"What was Valkyrie saying?" Sam asked.

"Why are you always talking about her?" Dean asked his brother.

"You never talk about anything, not Hell, not this ghost, nothing. Why can't I see her? If she's a ghost, I should see her too." Sam said, having a feeling she was more than a ghost.

"Maybe I'm a ghost whisperer." Dean said.

Sam got the hint. When Dean replied with sarcasm, it was a hint the conversation would end, no matter which road you try to take.

They agreed to meet Adam, so they waited for him at a small restaurant in his town of Windom. Sam sat near the window while Dean prepped up the silver and holy water, then his gun under the table. He had told Dean in their father's journal, there was a note that he was there in Windom nine months before Adam was born. Adam walked in and Sam waved him over. Dean was so hoping this kid was a monster, so they could kill him for pretending to be John's adultery child.

Adam sat down and drank the holy water and there was nothing, no reaction. The waitress served him his usual and even the silver fork and knife didn't do anything. Dean prepared his gun, ready to shoot him. He didn't even care that there were people around.

Sam was the one who explained that their father died during a hunt. It was an accident that no one really knew what happened.

"John didn't even know about me, until I begged my mom to call him. Then he visited often." He took out a picture of him and John at a baseball game and gave it to Sam. Dean glanced at it and knew there was no way that was photoshopped.

"So, who are you guys?" Adam asked.

"We're John's sons, Sam and Dean." Sam said. Adam was excited to have brothers, which only made Dean feel more sick and angry.

Adam's mother disappeared and they were helping him to find her. When Dean found her dead in the vents, he wanted to know more about them and his father. What made things worse, is Sam was the one talking to him without a problem.

They were all in the motel room. Dean was cleaning his guns when Sam was explaining to Adam they were hunters, as John was and hunted monsters, ghosts and demons.

"Look at him, such a wimp. There's no way there's Winchester blood in him. He'd probably piss his pants if he came upon a monster." Valkyrie said beside Dean, leaning closer to him, glaring at Adam.

Dean gave a small smile.

"What if Sam is tired of being the little brother and is replacing you with someone younger than him? What if he wants to train Adam in his own way? Like use what Hell or Heaven gave you and don't ask what the price is." She said.

Dean stopped smiling, stopped cleaning his guns and glanced at her with a warning type of glare.

"Alright, I know, buzz off." She said. He continued cleaning his guns and she left.

"I want to hunt with you, my brothers." Adam said.

"No." Dean said. "Dad left you out of this hunting game for a reason and we will respect that." Dean said without looking up.

"I think I have a right, here." Adam said.

Dean slowly glanced up and glared at Adam. He dropped what he was doing and left, slamming the door behind him.

He went to the bar and had a few drinks. While he did, Valkyrie never showed up. It surprised him. She'd show up a lot and harass him.

_Can never tell when she'll pop up._

He just needed to get away from everything. Adam only made it worst. Wanting to be part of the family and all understanding. No normal person would be that accepting.

He placed money down on the bar and got into the impala and drove off to the cemetery where a tomb was broken into. They were going to look into it, but with Adam, he made it hard to sneak off. This alone gave more to his theory.

He checked the tomb and there were missing bodies as well as a sort of hole in the wall. He pushed back parts of the wall and found a sort of tunnel.

"This is gonna sound crazy, but Valkyrie, if you can hear me, I'd like you to join me." He said. Lately he felt as if he was connected to her. The more she popped up, the more he got used to her. Hell, he even told Sam he's not to get rid of her!

"Sure, doll. Glad to see you want me." She said with a smile and a wink. He shook his head and climbed down the tunnel. Once he was in, Valkyrie was already inside.

"Thanks." He whispered.

"Hey, you know if you ever need someone, I'm always here to talk to, I've always been." She said.

"What was that?" Dean asked her, not certain he well understood that last part. "That almost sounded serious." He said, jokingly.

At that moment, the other side of the tunnel was buried, someone was there and now Dean had no way out. He was trapped.

_Son of a bitch!_

He glanced at the coffins and felt an instinct guide him. He decided to open the coffins. The first coffin was Kate, Adam's mother. He pretty much knew who was in the second, but he opened it anyways. As he thought, it was Adam. And he knew what the other Adam was; a ghoul and only ghouls feeds on the dead and take their form.


	8. Who Will be There

Who Will Be There

Sam and Adam were alone in the motel when the lights went out. A woman opened the door and stood in the door way, it was Kate.

"Mom?" Adam asked.

"That's not your mom, Adam. Your mom is dead."

Adam picked up a gun and lifted it up to his mother, then turned and hit Sam in the head.

When Sam woke up, he was tied to a table in Adam and Kate's home, his wrists were cut and his blood was dripping into two bowls on the floor. They were ghouls.

Kate was licking his blood off her fingers and made a face, looking up at Adam.

"His blood tastes different." she said, making a face.

"Your father killed ours." Adam said. "We thought we'd get him back, but what do you know, that bastard was already dead. So when you and Dean came along, it was all too perfect." He added.

Dean looked up and saw a glass window with dead leaves on it. He broke off the handle on Adam's coffin and broke the window. He slid it across so he could use it to pull himself up and he was out.

When he got on his feet, he turned around and there was Valkyrie.

"Hurry. Get Sam." She said. He ran to the impala and was alone. Well, not really. Like she said, she's with him.

Sam struggled to be free, but the ghouls had tied him too well.

"Adam, he really was your brother." He told Sam.

"His blood tastes really funny, unlike all the other humans we've eaten." Kate said.

A shot echoed. Kate looked over and saw a gun in Dean's hand, pointed at her brother. Blood dripped from Adam's head and Kate attacked, but Dean fired and shot her in the head as well.

He walked over to Sam and untied him. He gave his brother rags to put pressure against his cuts and walked him out of there.

He heard Adam really was their brother and felt somewhat disappointed that they couldn't save him. If only they knew, they could have saved their brother. And from what "Kate" said, Sam's blood tasting funny, it only had Dean more worried.

Dean watched as his brother slept and gained strength. He turned and rubbed his face, stressed with everything that was going on. Sam's blood, what was that about? Yeah he had demon blood but that was thanks to the Yellow Eyed Demon. Was there something else? Something Sam might have left out?

He was tortured in Hell and Adam was their real brother and their father never told them and just now he despises his father for that. All this time, he tried to be like his father, too much and now he realizes he's the opposite. Sam was teaching Adam and it reminded him of their father.

It was all too much. Everything that was happening, it was just all to much.

"Dean, relax." Said Valkyrie.

"Shut up, just shut up." Dean replied. "I don't need your bullshit."

She sat beside him and stared at him softly.

He didn't want her near him so he got up and walked over to the fridge, grabbing a beer. He felt like crawling under a rock and staying there.

"Here we go again." She said and walked over.

"Stay away from me." He said and drank.

"No, we are going to talk about this. You always burry things and move on, expecting them to go away. Well guess what, they never do. You need to talk about these things and you are going to tell me the one thing that bothers you the most as a start." She said. "Just take one at a time." she added.

He sat down and she did the same. He wasn't going to say anything.

"You hate your father more now and it's not just because of Adam." She said.

"You think you can tell me about my life? I know my life and you're not in it, so bud out." He took another sip of his beer and than a longer one. He hoped it would drown her out.

"Drowning me out with beer won't help. And I am in your life. You're angry at your father because the demons tortured him and he never gave up, but you did."

"Shut up." He said, his anger boiling.

"Well just because you couldn't take it anymore and started torturing other souls and enjoying it doesn't make you horrible. It makes you strong. You fought hard and you did what was hard. What your father did, it was being a coward. He never gave in. You can't always be as good as gold, there's a balance in life, Dean, and you can't be angry that you also have a balance within yourself." She said.

He looked up and thought she'd be gone, but she was still there. Her green eyes were so soft and caring, something familiar, yet new and strange.

_There it is again, the feeling that I've seen her before. But, her eyes…_

"Talk to me, Dean. I'm always here for you." She said in a soft whisper.

"I tortured souls, Val." He said. "My brother is lying to me and doing things behind my back. Adam was my brother and there are angels and demons and this apocalypse." He said, tears falling from his eyes.

"I know it's hard, but you went through this and look, you're here. What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger." She said.

"I died and went to Hell, Val." He said, so obviously her quote of confidence was out the window. This was useless.

"Your spirit didn't die." She corrected.

"But it's broken, right?" he asked her, certain she's have to agree with him.

"Many will say it to your face, me and you included, but as long as you can stand on your feet, nothing can break into pieces to the point of death." She said.

He got up and walked over to his bed and climbed in, hoping for a good night's rest. Valkyrie walked over and sat on the edge.

"One more thing, Dean." She said. "Tell me this with honesty. Say you've forgiven yourself."

He hesitated, but somehow he drifted off to sleep before anything was said or done. But before he drifted away, he could have sworn he hear that last sentence as a whisper, but he didn't know if it was beside him or in his head.

He woke up and found the other bed empty. He got up and looked around; Sam was gone. Dean turned around and saw Castiel standing there.

"Sam is with Ruby, find him and bring him to Bobby. You need to get him away from Ruby. You must stop him." Castiel said. He gave Dean a location and both went their separate ways. Dean was annoyed to be ordered around, but this was his brother, so he brushed it off and drove off.

When he got there, a car drove off. He parked and saw Sam alone. There on his face was something that made him sick. Around his brother's mouth was blood. He could only imagine what it was; demon blood. Why else would Ruby be training him?

She told him before he died that she couldn't help, and then she turned around and told Sam she could help.

Dean got out of the car and Sam looked disappointed, even scared. Dean walked up to him with one thing in mind. He punched him as hard as he could and knocked him out.

He stayed with Bobby and had Sam locked up in the panic room, letting the demon blood weaken. Sam was going on cold turkey.

He couldn't stand there and listen to Sam plea for someone to help him and let him out. Bobby knew it was hard for Dean, but what could he do?

"I got a call from Rufus and other hunters. Seals are being broken fast." Bobby told Dean. "Where are these angels?" he asked.

"Obviously they don't care." Dean replied. He couldn't take it, so he went outside. The only angel he knew was Castiel. He had enough, he was going to call him and talk to him, tell him to get his ass in gear and do something.

Dean was outside and was calling the angel.

"Castiel!" he yelled out.

"What makes you think Castiel is even on our side? What if he never meant to help us? And what if Heaven isn't even the good side? What if the only good side is ours?" Valkyrie asked, standing behind Dean.

"I don't know what's up and what's down anymore." Dean said. Before he could continue, she replied.

"Sky and dirt." Valkyrie replied. Dean ignored her and continued to call Castiel.

"He has to help." Dean said.

"Well don't expect anything. Heaven said they'd stop Sam, and look at him, drinking demon blood, using his powers and getting kicks out of it. They lied." She said.

"I only want to save Sam." Dean said. "Save innocent people." He added. Maybe he didn't even know what he wanted anymore. Like he told Valkyrie, he didn't know anymore. Since returning, things were confusing.

"And why does it have to be you?" she asked him. "Why always you? You suffered enough and Heaven gives you more. I know I said you were strong, but if you're being broken, it's because of Heaven." She said.

_Even what she says is confusing me. Everything is so contradicting._

"I just want this over." He said.

"I wish I could tell you what to do, but I'm like you, I don't know. Demons can't be trusted and angels we are beginning to doubt. We only have ourselves. You have me." She said. "Hey, maybe we can get the Ghostfacers to help. I know you love them."

"Castiel!" he yelled. He didn't want her to leave, but just to stop talking.

"Please don't." she said. "Angels are no better than demons."

He glanced behind him and found she was gone. He was about to call again but Castiel was there with someone else, that biker man.

"Dean." The man said. "Nice to meet you again."

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am the Archangel Michael." The biker man said. "We need to talk."


	9. Unleash the Monster

Unleash the Monster

The Archangel Michael, which was something Dean didn't expect. Dean felt nervous and scared. Things were going to be worst, weren't they? His brother trusted a demon and was high on demon blood getting powerful in a bad way and here he was; with Michael wanting to talk to him.

"You need to fight with us, Dean. You have been chosen." Michael said. "You broke the first seal and you shall stop the last one from being broken. It's your responsibility now." He added. "Have faith, for we believe in you."

Dean arched up an eyebrow since it seemed like Michael was reading off a badly written script.

"What do you mean I broke the first one? What do you mean by I'm chosen?" Dean asked the angels. "Whatever happened to free will? I don't want to do this, I can't do this." He admitted.

Castiel had sympathy written on his face, especially when he was looking down. Can Castiel really be trusted or was he just playing around with Dean's head? It's possible Castiel is working with Michael in fooling Dean. The angels couldn't be trusted.

"You started the apocalypse and you must end it." Michael said. "I'm here to help you with that." He added. "You are not alone. You can trust me for we are both fighting for the same because we both want to end the apocalypse. You are so much like me. I lost my brother, and if you fight with us you can save him. It's too late for my brother, but it's never too late for Sam's salvation. Please, you have to fight with us. Don't you agree?"

Dean told Bobby he agreed to side up with the angels. He didn't know what to do. Bobby reminded him even the angels could be playing them; since it's possible the angels only care about Heaven. The angels never did anything to stop the seals from being broken and it's only now one pulled Dean out of Hell.

"So you're some angel's bitch?" he asked Dean.

"Well, I don't want my brother turning into a monster, so if I do this, I might save him." Dean admitted. "What else am I to do? They told me I was chosen, so it doesn't sound like I can slip out of it and let someone else take my place." He added.

Bobby left the room, gone to get beers and something to eat. As soon as Dean was beginning to enjoy silence, Valkyrie appeared.

"You know, what if Ruby has been working against us this entire time? Like you said, she only helps after you die and the first seal is broken. And she only helped Sam, the one with the demon blood. I hope you realized that." She said. "With all of this, Lilith never showed her face to Sam, she's scared and Ruby knows it. You should have never let Sam go to Ruby when you knew he was with her. You should have killed her when you had the chance, cause now, she'll probably kill the both of you."

Dean pondered her words and felt the urge to check on his brother.

Dean got to the panic room and found it empty. No demon could have done that, since it was protected by demon traps. It must have been an angel, but whom? Castiel? Was Valkyrie right, that Castiel couldn't be trusted because he really was no help to the humans?

"That demon bitch, she's gonna die." Dean said. He got into his car and drove off after letting Bobby know about Sam and what he had planned to do.

As Dean got there at the motel and got out, Valkyrie appeared only to tell him something important. He had to call Sam a monster or a freak, so it would make him realize he was down a bad road and he had to snap out of it.

He got inside and saw Sam leave a room; he walked up closer and saw Ruby was still in there.

He entered the room and loved the shock on her face. He grabbed his knife and cut her arm as she tried to protect herself. She fought with him. She was a demon, why wasn't she using her powers? Had she lost them by giving them to Sam?

As they fought, he was near to dusting her, when Sam walked in.

"Didn't want me to crash the party? Considering how hard you tried hiding from me?" Dean asked Sam, while watching Ruby like a hawk.

"Leave, go." Sam told Ruby. He made sure she was gone and made sure Dean didn't run after her.

Sam and Dean were now face to face.

"You always called the shots, now you're back and you're weak. You can't do this because you're so broken. I can see it, everyone can. So now I have to do this." Sam said to Dean.

"Why does it have to be you?" Dean asked, curious to know if this was Sam or Ruby talking.

"I'm stronger than you. You so absorbed by the whole righteous thing with what the angels told you about me and the apocalypse." Sam said to his brother.

"The angels -"

"There you go again. What, you trust the angels more than me?"

"Well you trusted a demon over me." Dean replied. "Look where it got you. You did change, you became-" before he cut himself off.

"Say it Dean, say it." Sam dared him, as if he knew what Dean was about to say.

Dean hesitated, but wanted so much to tell Sam what he was doing was wrong. He just wanted Sammy back. He wanted to reverse time and stop before his going to Hell. Ever since then, life has really sucked.

"A monster." He couldn't hold the tear back; it hurt so much just to say it.

Without a warning, Sam's fist came full blast into his face, throwing him to the ground.

Dean got up and punched him back. It became a punching fit between brothers, followed by shoving and throwing until Dean went through part of a semi wall.

Dean couldn't stand up. His back was in pain and his head was throbbing. Sam stood over him, glaring at him. He bent over and began choking Dean. Then Sam stopped himself and stood up.

"You don't know me. You never knew me and never will."

He headed for the door and stopped when Dean replied, in a whisper, for he could barely speak.

"You walk out that door, don't you ever come back. You hear me?" he asked his brother. "You're not my brother anymore."

With that, Sam left the room.

It seemed time froze so it could show Dean just how bad things got. There wasn't just an apocalypse about to be unleashed on the world: there was one between the Winchester brothers. Factors all around were pulling them apart and destroying everything they had.

Dean tried to sit up and afterwards stand up. Valkyrie appeared in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, not at all pleased.

"Say it, go ahead and say it." He told her.

"You pushed him away. Great job, moron." She said, glaring at him like he was a kid who drew on the wall.

"Go fuck yourself." He replied.

"You are not John Winchester. Stop trying to be like him and stop trying to change Sam and accept him. Now you lost him. Way to go, asshole." She said with her voice seemingly colder than anything else.

"Shut up." Dean was now pissed and disappointed. "You told me to do it." He added, but that part sounded like a mumble.

"You can't shut out what you need to hear. You are seriously broken. You need me to set you straight and that's not a good sign." She said.

He looked at her with confusion.

"Who are you?" he asked her. "You can't be a ghost, you know way too much and- and – no one, living or dead can say what you tell me." He added. "Now, who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"I didn't lie when I said I was a hunter." She said and the look in her eyes became strangely familiar.

"I didn't ask that. I asked who you were." He said, angry.

She hesitated, then grinned and bent over to him.

"I lied when I said I was a ghost.I only said it to ease your mind because you weren't ready for the truth." She said. "I'm more of an illusion of your own mind and no, you aren't insane." She said, wiping a bit of blood off his face with her thumb.

He listened and waited to hear. Time was cruel and it felt like forever.

"I also lied when I said my name is Valkyrie. It means hero, by the way, which I believe that's what you are. You think you can't do this and that you're too broken, but I don't think so. I say it because you believe it and you need to face the truth. Heroes can fall, but they always get back up. I'm going to help you." She added.

"How are you?" he asked her through his teeth, losing patience. "Tell me or I'll fucking blow your head off." He added. He was tired, swore, hurt and angry, he didn't want to put up with bullshit.

"My name is Dean Winchester." She said, looking in his eyes. "I'm your subconscious mind."


	10. Two Sides of the Coin

Two Sides of the Coin

Dean couldn't believe what he just heard. This woman was an illusion of his mind, his subconscious mind? He must have received a real hard blow to the head or she was an insane ghost.

_I knew I had seen her before. But it was her eyes… they're my eyes._

"It all happened in Hell. For so long you and I battled together, saying no to Alastair. We fought together and stayed on the rack, through all the pain. The day you couldn't take it anymore and started to torture the other souls, that's when your conscious and I, your subconscious, was torn apart. You really were broken. Your mind was ripped. You rationalized everything and I was telling you it was wrong. Not to forget all those years when you faced problems and pushed them all on me. You have a problem of facing your own problems, your own fears. I had to do something, and Hell was the final straw."

He got up and felt sick. He looked at her and shook his head.

"No way, this isn't happening." He told her.

"Sam was right, for me being a ghost; he should have been able to see me. You were the only one who could see me and hear me. Some people might call that insane, but we both know it's not that. You're just broken." She said.

"Stop calling me broken." Dean said, raising his voice.

"It's the truth. Your subconscious mind is talking to you, face to face, Dean!" she yelled at him. "You're broken, but only you can fix yourself! Me and you!" she added.

Before he could think of what he was about to do, his fist flew up and he hit her in the jaw, sending her off her feet and onto the ground.

She opened her eyes and felt confused. Her jaw hurt like hell and part of her wondered what had just happened. She then felt a pain in her hand and tried to stand up.

She looked up and saw a man walking over to the door, opening it and ready to leave.

"Wait." She said. "Don't go." She said. When he turned around and she saw his face, it all came to her. She knew what had happened, who he was and who she was.

She stood up with difficulty and looked at her hand. A piece of wood was in it, blood dripping down her arm. That, and she could feel blood at the corner of her mouth.

"Dean, we have a problem." She said, through shock.

"Yeah, my subconscious mind needs to shut the hell up and go away." He said, about to leave, but she called out to him.

"Dean, the problem is, I'm not your subconscious mind anymore."

He turned around and looked at her. When she held up her hand, he saw the piece of wood sticking out of her hand and blood dripping down her arm. Then there was blood in the corner of her mouth. If she was an illusion then she wouldn't have such an injury. She shouldn't be bleeding. He walked over to her and looked at her injuries. They were real. He looked up as she did and he saw her eyes. They were different; where they were once green like his, they were now blue.

"Okay, let's get this cleaned up." He said, uncertain what to really think about.

"You're not going to leave?" she asked him, still in shock.

"Like you said, we have a problem. You're real and you're injured and I hit you." He said, then added with softness that he rarely ever used: "I wouldn't leave you behind."

She began to cry slightly. He felt like such an asshole for hitting her.

Once he pulled out the wood and washed out the wound, he ripped a strip of his shirt and wrapped it around her hand. The corner of her mouth has been cleaned and needed to heal on its own.

"C'mon, we'll go see Bobby."

Bobby was curious when the impala pulled up and a blond woman came out of the passenger side. Dean looked worried and disappointed. That didn't make Bobby comfortable. Then again, what did these days?

"Sam got away?" Bobby asked him when they got in.

"Yeah, I tried." Dean replied.

"You did just what your father did, let Sam go if not push him away." Bobby said. "Damn it, Dean, you're better than your father ever was, why do you try so hard to be like him?" he added.

"Told you." Valkyrie mumbled, but Dean didn't feel like arguing with her.

"Call your brother and stop acting like a brat. Don't be like your father and reach out to your brother." Bobby said. It didn't look like Dean was going to call his brother, so when Bobby pushed him against the wall and pinned him, Dean got the point.

He took out his cell phone and tried calling his brother, but there was no answer. Bobby relaxed; Dean tried only once, but at least he did make the call. Dean walked into the living room and crashed on the couch.

Bobby looked at the blond who smiled nervously at him.

"Who's your new friend?" Bobby asked Dean, staring at the woman in front of him.

"Valkyrie," Dean replied from the couch. "She was an illusion of my mind, my subconscious mind." He added.

Bobby must have heard wrong, but when he looked at Dean, he thought the young man must have fallen and cracked his head or he was slightly drunk.

"Are you serious?" he asked him. He looked at Valkyrie and lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Bobby, it's a long story." She said. "A complicated one."

They both walked into the living and saw the couch bare. There was no Dean. Bobby and Valkyrie exchanged looks and searched the house. Dean was nowhere to be found.

Dean opened his eyes and Bobby's living room looked different. He sat up straight and realized he wasn't at Bobby's anymore. The room looked Victorian. There was a long table, a platter of cheeseburgers and beers in ice. He looked around and saw Castiel standing there.

"It's almost time." Castiel said.

"Time for what?" Dean asked him.

Another man appeared and smiled at Dean.

"I'm Zachariah." The man said.

"Another angel?" Dean asked and Zachariah confirmed it. "Great, another one." Dean replied.

"We're keeping you safe here since the last seal will be broken by Lilith at midnight." Zachariah replied, ignoring Dean's comment.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked them. "I want to go see Sam."

"Sorry, no can do." And Dean was alone in the room, where if he opened the door, it was sealed by a wall and if he punctured holes into the walls, they'd reseal themselves.

_Yeah, don't trust the douchebags with wings._

Dean pulled out his cell phone and called Sam. He just got the voicemail again, so he felt a message; an apology.

He wondered if Valkyrie and Bobby were okay and wished she was still an illusion of his mind that would appear and be with him. He didn't want to be alone. He was alone in Hell and Valkyrie was a relief. But now he's alone and he doesn't know what to do.

He turned around and saw Zachariah standing there, staring at him.

"What do you want now?" Dean asked him. "Can I ask questions now or will you run off with your wings between your legs again?"

"Lilith will break the last seal and there is nothing you can do to stop it." He said.

"Then why does everyone keep telling me I can?" Dean asked him.

"They lied. You're so broken and weak, plus, the whole purpose of this is for the last seal to break. Michael lied. You weren't supposed to stop Lilith. Your job is really after that." He told Dean. "Yes many people will die with this apocalypse, but Heaven will win and those who fight with us against the demons will be rewarded, most of all; you. You're job is to stop Lucifer."

Dean shook his head and felt angry.

"Stopping Lucifer is even more impossible than stopping Lilith. How do I know you're not lying now?" Dean asked him.

"Because, that's really your job, to fight Lucifer. See, Michael wanted you to do everything, but I see just how broken you are and I made my own plan and soon, it will unroll itself and replace you."

Dean didn't know if he heard right.

"You mean your plan is to make sure I do…what exactly?" he asked the angel.

"Michael wanted you to fight Lucifer, kill him, send him back to Hell, win and all. But my plan is to replace you, let someone else kill Lucifer." Zachariah answered.

"And who is this someone?" Dean asked him.

"You'll see." He said. "I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." He smiled and stood up. "How's Valkyrie?" he asked Dean.

"How do you -" Dean began, but realized something. "You made Valkyrie corporal?" he asked the angel, hoping he was wrong.

"Bingo." He answered with a grin. "She'll serve us better that way, can't go hogging her to yourself, Dean." He said before he vanished and left Dean alone to shout profanities at the walls.

Dean sat in one of the chairs and thought to himself what his life had turned out to be. What a life it was. Filled with death and misery, and for what? So he can fight Lucifer? He didn't know what to think, who to trust and what to do.

At that moment, Castiel appeared to him and looked nervous.

"Please be quiet." Castiel said. He cut his own hand and with his own blood drew a symbol on the wall as he was explaining to Dean what was going on. "I heard what Zachariah said and I don't know what is happening. Michael thinks I've become too human with you, with my sympathy. I no longer trust Michael and I don't trust Zachariah's new plan, something about it feels wrong. Sam will kill Lilith; her death is the last seal. I know someone who knows where Sam is."

"What is going on?" asked Zachariah, but there was a white flash and he was gone. Castiel has his hand on the symbol and in a blink of an eye, Castiel and Dean were standing in a house in front of Chuck Shurley; the prophet.

"This isn't supposed to happen." Chuck said once the two entered his house.

"Where is Sam?" Castiel asked the prophet.

"At a convent, where Lilith is." Chuck answered, starting at them and at this manuscript, as if saying none of it made sense.

Castiel knew which convent, he should have known, for the same incident had happened at the same convent; St. Mary's.

Outside filled with bright light and everything is the house begun to shake; the archangel that guarded Chuck was arriving and he would probably take Dean as well. Castiel turned to Dean and told him he'd fight off the angels and send him to stop Sam.


	11. The Grim Side

The Grim Side

Sam broke the doors and saw Lilith standing in front of an altar in a white dress. She turned and smiled at him.

With his hand outstretched, he slammed her into the altar and began killing her from within.

Dean looked around and realized where he was, especially when he looked down the hallway and saw Sam standing in the middle of a room with a woman pinned by an invisible force. Ruby turned around and gave him a smile. The doors slammed shut.

He ran up to the doors and couldn't open them. He yelled Sam's name, hoping his voice could convince Sam not to do anything.

Sam turned around; hearing his brother's voice, but Ruby told him to finish Lilith off.

"What a freak. You can't even bring yourself to do the job right." Lilith said as she laughed. Sam turned and got angry, he added more force as he killed her. His powers reached their peak and his eyes turned black as her demon soul was near its death. The body that Lilith possessed was bleeding and the blood was forming into a circle, a sort of portal.

"You did it, you've opened the door and setting Lucifer free." Ruby said behind Sam. He turned and looked at her; she was smiling. "I deceived you all, especially you, Sam Winchester."

Sam lifted up his hand and tried to kill her, but he had used all his powers on Lilith. He would have needed more blood to kill Ruby.

"You'll get great rewards from Lucifer, as will I. I proved myself. All those damned demons thought I was weak and that I couldn't get it done, but look at me now! I made Sam open the door to Lucifer and one day, he'll become a demon himself. One day, we'll be Lucifer's greatest servants." She said.

Dean managed to break down the door.

"You're too late, Dean, it's already done." Ruby told him.

He took out her knife and she was grabbed from behind. Dean approached and he stabbed her in the gut.

"Go to Hell, you demon bitch." He whispered to her.

Sam let go of her body and looked at his brother. Dean held fear and worry in his eyes. Sam wanted to say he was sorry for everything and it was his entire fault, but he knew Dean would never forgive him for this.

They both looked down at the ground and saw the portal beginning to open and glow brighter.

"He's coming." Sam said with fear in his voice.

The light grew brighter and they were blinded. When the light disappeared, they stood in a small house and looked around, seeing Chuck knelt down beside Castiel who was unconscious on the floor with his white shirt bloody.

They exchanged expressions and realized they were away from Lucifer. Someone had placed them in safety.

"Is Castiel okay?" Dean asked Chuck.

Chuck jumped, surprised by their presence.

"An archangel came and before I knew it, he had Castiel pinned against the wall and had his hand in his chest and pulled out a bright light and left." He answered. "Castiel whispered to me it was his grace before he went out cold."

Dean pulled out his cell phone and called Bobby.

"Dean? Where are you? Where have you been?" Bobby asked him. Dean heard Valkyrie in the background, worried and asking questions.

"Tell Valkyrie I'm at Chuck's, she'll know where to go." Dean said. "I've been held up by angels. The last seal is broken." He whispered. "We're okay, except for Castiel."

In the back, Chuck was talking to Sam and had told him in his vision; he had seen Sam's eyes go black. That had Dean worried, but for now, he had to worry about Lucifer and the angels. He'd just hope that for now, his brother wouldn't become a demon.

Valkyrie pushed open the door and rushed inside. She relaxed when she saw Sam and Dean were okay, but worried again when she saw Castiel still on the couch. Chuck glanced at her and gave a slight wave.

Sam turned and looked at her, unsure about her.

"Valkyrie, where's Bobby?" Dean asked her.

"Home, he told me he'd contact other hunters and let them know." She said. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah. Castiel lost his grace." He said.

"Doesn't sound like you're worried." She said as she walked closer to the living room where Castiel laid on the couch.

"Well, he wasn't exactly the nicest angel." Dean said.

"But he disobeyed orders to help you, which is more than I can say for the other angels." Valkyrie said.

Chuck just stared at her and smiled when she glanced at him.

"Hi, Valkyrie, it's nice to meet you." He said. "The first time I saw you in my visions, I thought you were awesome." He admitted.

"Thanks Chuck." She said with a soft smile, but she also looked creeped out. She walked closer to Castiel and knelt down on the floor beside the couch. She checked his pulse and saw his shirt covered in blood where his heart would be. She unbuttoned it a bit and saw no wound.

She stood up and left the fallen angel alone. She saw Sam, by his expression; it was as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Hi Sam." She said to him and sat next to Dean at the kitchen table. Chuck pulled out a chair for himself and Sam did the same. They all sat in an awkward silence.

"I think we better protect the house against demons and angels." She said. She watched as the men agreed and hurried on, getting salt while Dean drew the symbols to rid the angels. She joined to help them and did upstairs with Sam. They did the windows and doors with salt and devil traps as well in every room, floor and ceiling.

Dean drew other symbols of protection when he was done. They sat back down in the kitchen after they were done and the house was safe. Or so they hoped

"Anyone hungry?" Chuck asked them.

"What do you have?" she asked him. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Sam had broken the last seal, Dean was hurt and Chuck was confused. Not to forget there was a fallen angel in the living room and that she was Dean's former subconscious mind, who is now a real girl!

"Not much, but I could scramble eggs, cook bacon, make toast." He said.

"No cheeseburgers?" she asked him. Sam raised an eyebrow and, if Dean was in the mood, he would have grinned.

Chuck looked at the brothers and at her, not sure what to say.

"I've got KD." He said. She considered it and nodded.

"Good enough. I'll cook the macaroni and cheese while you do the rest." She said. They exchanged smiles and stood up, getting busy. She hoped it would be enough food because once Castiel wakes up, he'll need it.

"Oh, I got pie for desert. Cherry pie." Chuck replied, hoping that would cheer them up, especially Dean.

Dean closed his eyes, sighed and smiled.

"Chuck, I love you." Dean replied, glad he could eat pie. The only constant good thing in his life. Sadly, it might be his last time.

Chuck didn't know how to respond. It was awkward.

"Okay, that's not going into the gospel." He mumbled to himself.


End file.
